Chapter 3

A steady jostling woke Jane up. She squinted against the bright light surrounding her.

"Take your time," Steve said from beside her.

She turned her head and felt something strapped to her face. An oxygen mask. She touched the plastic tube and tried to roll over, uncomfortable on the lumpy mattress.

When she almost fell off her bed, hands caught her and eased her back against another hard cushion. She peeked out from between her eyelids to find she wasn't on a hospital bed, but in the backseat of a car.

Jerking upright made her head spin. She flopped back down after registering that the Winter Soldier was driving and Captain America sat with her.

"You gave us quite a scare there," Steve said.

"Where are the others?" she asked.

"They're fine. Your quick thinking separated HYDRA's forces—"

"And nearly got yourself killed," the assassin cut in.

"—making it easy pickings for Tony, Nat, and Clint."

She exhaled in relief. "Then why aren't we with them?"

Rogers looked at his old friend, but said nothing.

He could've left her. He could've been free from this burden, but here he was, still lugging her around. She didn't understand why.

After a long moment, she made herself sit up and took off the oxygen tube. It was early morning, which meant she'd been out for at least seven hours. She groaned from the massive headache and placed her forehead against the cool glass of the window. Looking through the the rear view mirror, the Winter Soldier's eyes were on her. It had the disconcerting effect of making her heart trip over itself.

"What now?" she asked.

"We stay on the run, until I can talk some sense into Buck— James."

"So that's his name."

Steve's gaze landed on her. "He didn't introduce himself?"

When she shook her head, he sent a withering glare to his old friend. "Your mother taught you better than that."

"Our mothers are dead. Everyone we knew is dead."

"That's no reason—"

"You left me for dead."

The small space inside the car shrunk to the size of a walnut. In an attempt to give them privacy, she looked out the window. Open land sped by. Grassy hills with short, plump trees filled the picturesque landscape.

"I know." Steve swallowed. "And I've never forgiven myself."

The plates on the Winter Soldier's arms ground and he clenched the steering wheel with a creak that made her think it was now forever bent.

"Bucky, I'm sorry."

The car swerved to a stop in the middle of the empty road. He jumped out and ripped Steve's door off its hinges. Grabbing him by the shoulder, he pulled him out and threw him to the asphalt. "You don't get to call me that," he snapped. "No one gets to call me that anymore 'cause that man is gone."

Steve got to his feet. "I don't expect you to forgive me."

The assassin gripped the sides of his head, as if he had a headache worse than hers. "Shut up."

"James—"

"Shut up!" He swung at Steve, and the Captain didn't even bother to block the strike.

His head whipped to the side and he touched his reddening cheek. "I deserved that."

"You deserve a hell of a lot more than that."

Two rockets streaked through the sky. Jane jumped out and shouted for them to look up.

James darted to her side, but it was too late. Tony landed in his Iron Man suit and blasted him away from her. He flew backwards and hit the ground hard on his back. He propped himself up with an arm and shook his head.

"Tony," she said, though it went unheard as Colonel Rhodes made his entrance.

"Steve Rogers," the newcomer said, "you are under arrest for aiding and abetting a dangerous criminal."

He lifted his hands, as if in surrender, though his gaze darted to his shield in the backseat of the car.

Tony walked to her, asking if she was alright. "We saw him carry you away from the motel."

"I'm fine, but—"

James tackled Tony and started ripping into the Iron Man suit with his metal hand. Rhodey shifted to help fight him off, but Steve lunged for his shield, then hurled it at him.

The Colonel slid into a fighting stance with his hands raised and repulsors charged. "Captain, stand down."

"No can do."

She couldn't take it anymore. Walking to the driver side, she ignored the ridiculous scuffle that could've been easily avoided if Steve or James had opted for words instead of fists. Without a second glance at the cracked steering wheel, she got in the car and drove away. She'd find the next available phone, call Fury, and tell him everything. If she hadn't been too scared of James catching her, she would've done it earlier.

The cool breeze from the open window was a balm to her fried brain and tender lungs.

A motorcycle zipped by before it sped back to her. Covered head to toe in a black bodysuit and helmet, Natasha looked at her before gesturing for them to pull over.

Once they'd stopped, she took off her helmet. "Are you okay? Why aren't you with the others?"

"James and I are soulmates," Jane announced. "He's not going to kill me or bring me back to HYDRA. The bond restored his brain from the mind-fuck they'd given him, and he's not going to murder anyone ever again." If he doesn't kill Tony, that is.

Romanoff pulled her brows together, but nodded sharply. "Follow me."

They drove back to find them still fighting, only further down the road, like they might've tried to follow her, but couldn't get out of each other's way to do so.

Jane stepped out of the car and Natasha slipped her hand inside to honk the horn, several taps at first, then one long grating sound.

Nothing.

She pursed her lips, pulled the little stun gun from its thigh holster, and aimed. Tony went down, then Rhodey, and finally, Bucky's arm.

Thankfully, Steve stopped as soon as the dominoes started falling. He turned to look at the shooter. "Nat?"

"Is the fight out of everyone's systems?" she asked.

The armored suits dismantled and the two men stood upright. All of them were bleeding, bruised, downright disheveled, and glistening under the sun. Tony looked the worst, though. He had two black eyes from when James had hit him the other day.

The Winter Soldier pulled off the little disc that was short circuiting his arm and shifted toward Jane, but abruptly stopped.

The constant ache in her chest twisted deeper, as if his denial of their bond was a knife to the heart. She sucked in a sharp breath and got back in the car, trusting Natasha to handle the situation.

Jane fiddled with the thread sticking out of the cushion. Her work was more important than a soulmate bond. That was her one true constant anyway. James would be a comet streaking by, breathtaking and yet fleeting.

The car dipped as Steve slid in next to her. James took up the last portion of the backseat and held onto the frame where the door had once been. Tony got in the drivers seat and Rhodey sat in the passenger side.

Stark looked back at them. "Buckle up."

"What about your suits?" she asked.

"SHIELD is on their way." He started the car. "I think a little quality time together is a good idea. We can play 'get to know the new guy.'"

oOoOo

Jane sat in her lab, analyzing the data that had just come in from the latest telescope shots, when the door slid open with a soft hiss. She straightened, cracking her back in the process, and turned to see who had come in.

James walked toward her, all cleaned up after their incredibly long drive back to the Tower. Two lifetimes of watching reality shows wouldn't incorporate the amount of awkward silences coupled with heated arguments she'd been subjected to.

She smoothed down her shirt and tucked back her hair. "You look better."

"I heal fast these days."

Nodding, she tore her gaze off him to look anywhere besides his blue eyes, the curve of his lips, the broadness of his shoulders, and pretty much everything about him. Heat blossomed in her cheeks and she berated herself for getting worked up over a man who would be gone in a couple hours.

He stopped a few feet from her. "I just wanted to say good bye."

"It was nice to meet you." Her fingers went to touch the ache flaring in her chest, and she smiled the best she could.

His hand twitched, but he stuffed it in the pocket of his jeans. "I'm sorry I almost killed you."

"Yeah, that would've made for a bad day."

He chuckled, and the sound felt so good it hurt. "Wasn't it one regardless?"

"Far from it." Her gaze found his. "There were some scary moments, but it was very thrilling. The most excitement I get is the hysteria of running out of coffee."

The half-smile he wore made him look ten times more handsome. She had to clear her throat and tear her eyes off him.

"I was a letdown, though, right?" he asked. "I mean, I can't imagine meeting my soulmate at the end of their gun."

"Like I said, thrilling." She paused and shook her head. "But it wasn't a letdown." Her blush deepened.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Look, you're swell. Beautiful, smarter than everyone I know, courageous. You're perfect, but I..."

She leaned toward him, heart pounding in her throat. "But what?"

He looked down at his feet. "I'm not worthy of a soulmate, especially you. You don't deserve this."

"James." She touched his arm. "You are so much more than what they did to you."

"But HYDRA—"

"Can kiss my ass."

He gaped at her, but then laughed so hard it transformed his face into what he might've looked like before the war. "So I've kept my distance from you this entire time for no reason."

Beaming, she asked, "Does this mean you'll stay?"

He moved to her and slipped his real hand into her hair. She leaned into his warm touch and closed her eyes, relishing in the peace cascading through her.

Another step brought him closer. The sliver of space between them vibrated with the inevitable. She wanted him to grab her and pull her flush to him so that she could feel every hard plane against her soft curves.

Instead, he bent over and captured her lips with his. They were soft, and yet demanding. It was as if he were a succubus, drinking all of her in. And she let him. She gave herself to him, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him fully so that he'd know she was here and would always be here with him.

Leaving behind a trail of delightful tingles, his real hand slid down her back to settle at her waist. He drew her to him while pressing his hips against hers. She almost melted into a puddle of quivering hormones.

But it wasn't enough. She wanted both of his hands on her, warm flesh and cool metal. It didn't seem like it would ever happen, though. Without ever leaving his lips, she found the bionic arm and tugged it to her.

It didn't move.

Frustrated, she whimpered and tried again.

He groaned and pulled back enough to say, "You're killin' me, doll."

"I want all of you." She touched his fisted metal hand. "Please."

"But I've only ever used it to destroy." He placed his forehead to hers and they breathed each other in, panting from their amorous attentions. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Show HYDRA that you are more than a killing machine. That you are James Buchanan Barnes and you are now a free man."

His fingers unfurled and he cupped her bottom, lifting her so she could wrap her legs around him. Her heart fluttered like humming bird wings.

"Say that again," he demanded.

"You're a free man."

Digging his nose into the crook of her neck, he inhaled. "And you're my soulmate."

She let her head fall back as he ran his lips over the sensitive flesh there. "Forever."

Author's Note: well, there you go. I hope you enjoyed it. :)

Thanks for reading! And for commenting. I'm still really surprised I got as many as I did!

Another one-shot for our Winter Solstice fandom will be posted today. It's my first attempt at fluff. I'm putting it under my collection of one-shots called, Jane-centric Series of Eccentric Stories.